


Are you a princess?

by ArtemisChick



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Cutesy, F/M, Fluff, Kindergarten, Kissing, One Shot, Secret Crush, Shyness, Squirrels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:01:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26789392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArtemisChick/pseuds/ArtemisChick
Summary: Agent Scully is asked to watch over a kindergarten class while Agent Mulder investigates something strange that was discovered in the said school. The group of awestruck kids thought Scully was a princess.(Indefinite timeline)
Relationships: Fox Mulder & Dana Scully, Fox Mulder/Dana Scully
Kudos: 26





	Are you a princess?

_What am I doing here?_

This was the first line Agent Dana Scully had in mind the moment she stepped inside the halls of High Hopes Primary School, located at the outskirts of Washington D.C. 

A preschool was the last place she expected to find herself in. She was supposed to be doing an autopsy today for a critical case that can help solve a month-long mystery. Certainly, answers were needed as to why dead bodies of female prostitutes were turning up around the city. The way they died was also similar; there were no external wounds yet their eyes looked like they went blind before their untimely demise.

The copycat Jack-The-Ripper serial murders were in dire need of her attention. Instead, someone volunteered to do the autopsies in her place. Her partner, Agent Fox Mulder, insisted that she accompany him to this trip.

"No Mulder, I can't come with you right now. I have an autopsy scheduled after lunch."

"Scully, A.D. Skinner told me the new pathologist is assigned for that case."

"If that is, I can ask Skinner to pass it on to me, right this moment."

"But Skinner already gave me the go-signal to let you join me on this trip," Mulder pleaded.

"I decline joining you today."

Scully looked up at her table in their basement office. She was livid at Mulder for interferring with her schedule. Without a word, she stood up and walked to the door, her angry heels stomping and breaking the heavy silence between them.

"Scully, this will be the last time I will interfere on your autopsy schedule. Just be with me on this trip. Your presence is needed."

She looked back and stared at Agent Mulder and his puppy-dog pleading eyes. Something in her chest softened. Her furrowed eyebrows slowly relaxed, her jaw unclenching.

"I'll just have my lunch outside," she sighed. "Let's meet here once I return."

She stepped out of the basement office without looking back. Behind her, Fox Mulder couldn't help but smile like a thrilled teenage boy whose crush just said yes to him on a date.

\---

"Hello, are you Agents Dana Scully and Fox Mulder from the FBI?"

The two federal agents were taken to the principal's office for briefing. In front of them was a middle-aged woman in a floral collared dress. Scully mused that this lady looked like Dustin Hoffman in Tootsie, no thanks to her brown puffy updo.

Scully and Mulder showed her their IDs. Each of them shook hands with the principal. Scully learned that her name was Mrs. Marsha Lawson, based on the bronze-colored plaque on her table.

"Yes, we're here to help you out behind that strange phenomenon we learned earlier," Mulder answered politely as he sat back. "We work in the X-Files division."

"I did not know the FBI had such a department." A bright smile showed up on Madam Tootsie's face, her teeth a perfect set of white. "What do you investigate?"

"Strange phenomenon and unexplained encounters, such as extra-terrestrial life forms." Mulder beamed proudly at Mrs. Lawson.

"Oh my! I believe in aliens too!" Mrs. Lawson clasped her hands, failing to conceal her excitement with her wide eyes. "Tell me, Agent Mulder, is the Area 51 thing for real?" Her voice squeaked.

"Well, I guess I can say---"

"Agent Mulder, let's get down to business," Scully cut him off. Mulder turned to look at her, his smile instantly wiped off from his face when he sensed her irritation.

"Mrs. Lawson, we would like to extend our help, which was the reason why we're called here," Scully stated. "We heard that yesterday, one of your janitors was found in the boys' comfort room with a bite on his neck?"

"Oh yes indeed, my dear," Mrs. Lawson answered. "We had no idea what bit him, but he was found sprawled on the floor and was taken immediately to the hospital. Just this morning, one of the teacher aides were also bitten on the neck and also on her arm, but in the ladies' room. Both were unconscious, that's why we had no idea what happened."

"Maybe there's a vampire in your school." Scully rolled her eyes, her sarcasm showing. Imagine having your schedule disrupted because your partner thought some mysterious creature was on the loose at this school.

Mulder and Mrs. Lawson paid no attention to her, thankfully. Instead, Mulder faced Mrs. Lawson and said, "Can you please bring us to the comfort rooms where it happened? We will be taking photos together with our team."

"Surely."

The three of them went out the office. As they walked across the hallways, a distraught young brunette woman in a pink cardigan and gray pants stopped them in their tracks.

"Principal Lawson, Ms. Maple was found unconscious in the ladies' room," she panted. 

"What?!" Lawson was shocked. "Was she bitten too, is she alright?"

"There was a bite mark on her neck," the young woman revealed. "I called 911 and they're on their way here. For now, her kindergarten class is left all alone and there's no one to watch over them. I have to accompany Ms. Maple to the hospital."

"Can you take us to the bathroom where it happened?" Agent Mulder requested.

"This way," the lady walked ahead of them.

"Agent Scully?" Mulder looked over his shoulder.

"I volunteer to watch Ms. Maple's class first," she stated. "And I suggest to carry a lock down for this school. Please declare class dismissal now, Principal Lawson."

"Scully, are you sure?" Mulder questioned.

"The other lady needs to bring the teacher to the hospital. You have the guys with you, just do your thing. Principal Lawson, please take me to Ms. Maple's class while you tell the other teachers what to do regarding early class dismissal."

"I agree with her," the young lady answered. "Sir, please accompany me to the ladies' room where Ms. Maple is."

Scully's eyes widened when the lady grabbed Mulder's left arm. He did not react to her touch, though. Instead, he just nodded as she led the way in a business-like manner.

When they were finally out of earshot, Mrs. Lawson brought her to the injured Ms. Maple's class. It was a classroom located at the far end of the right hallway. 

When they finally reached the door, Principal Lawson told her directions.

"Ms. Maple's class may be rowdy, but they like it when you read stories to them. For now, that will do. Tell them to wait while I tell the other teacher to call up their school bus for the early dismissal."

"Alright, Madam." Scully gulped and took a deep breath.

"Brace yourself for these noisy littles," Principal Lawson grinned. She reached for the door and pulled it open. 

Scully stepped into a messy room full of chaotic kids. There were five small tables reserved for four students each, but they were in disarray. Two were pushed towards the left side while the other three were in a disarray on the right corner. Textbooks, notebooks, and coloring materials were to be found on the tables or down on the foam-lined floor. The pile of notebooks crashed down to the ground when a boy accidentally shoved the table while chasing his classmate.

Some of the boys were running around and shouting in the middle. In one corner were two girls holding cloth dolls and pretending to use them as swords. One girl threw a crayon at the boy who swooshed in front of her. 

Twenty. Scully counted them. No, make it eighteen. She spotted a boy sitting by the window and drawing on a sketch pad, while beside her, a girl in glasses busied herself with creating something out of modeling clay. So there were eighteen kids running and shouting, with the two unaffected kids on the sidelines.

Mrs. Lawson was unnoticed, until she tapped the teacher's table in front of her with a 12-inch plastic ruler. The noise was enough to make the children pay attention.

"Class! Everybody, sit down!" 

The Mrs. Lawson right now was a far cry from the one Scully met earlier. From being almost motherly, she instantly turned into a no-nonsense principal, together with her strict and knowing gaze.

All the children immediately stopped from running and paused. Upon seeing the principal together with a redhead stranger of a woman, they all held their breaths and slowly grouped together, sitting down in the middle of the floor.

"Fix the tables and bring the school things where you found them," Mrs. Lawson pointed at the pile of notebooks spilled on the floor.

The quiet boy by the window stood up together with the little girl in glasses. Without a word, they fixed the place; picking up textbooks and notebooks and pilling them neatly, then putting the crayons back in their box container. Then they joined the group of children and sat on the foam in the middle.

When everything seemed to have settled down, Mrs. Lawson proceeded to talk to them.

"Class, we have to bring Ms. Maple to the hospital. After this, it will be going-home time."

The children errupted in loud cheers and clapping when they heard the good news. 

"What happened to Ms. Maple?" The bespectacled girl raised her hand to Principal Lawson.

"The monster in the comfort room bit her, according to Ms. Charles," a boy across the room shouted at her. 

"What, there is a monster in school?!" A blonde girl cried out.

"Class, stay still!" Principal Lawson ordered. "This is why we will go home earlier. Please wait for the school bus to arrive. For now, you may behave while my friend here watches over you all. Ms. Charles will bring Ms. Maple to the hospital while the good guys will help find the monster."

"Is she a good guy?" A freckled boy pointed to Agent Scully.

"Yes, she is called Agent Scully and works with the good guys who will help us find the monster. There will be no school tomorrow until we catch the monster."

The class cheered until Principal Lawson hushed them to keep quiet. 

"Please behave until I return. Agent Scully will read you a story."

Principal Lawson grabbed a book from the teacher's table and gave it to Scully. 

"You may read this one. I'll go check on Agent Mulder."

"Alright, I got this," Scully assured her.

"Class, I'll leave. Please behave and be kind to Agent Scully."

"Yes, Principal Lawson."

The elderly principal left the room. Now it was Scully and these bunch of doe-eyed children analyzing her silently, trying to make what kind of person she is.

Scully pulled a chair in front of them and sat down. She flashed a smile at them, preparing herself for the chaos that may ensue in the presence of these brats.

"I'm Agent Dana Scully, one of the good guys. For now, I will read you something, and I hope you will listen. This book is called _Oh, The Places You'll Go!_ by Dr. Seuss."

"We know that book! Ms. Maple just read that to us!" One boy protested.

"Hey, be quiet and let's listen! We want them to catch the monster!" The glasses girl reminded.

"Okay, fine!" The boy rolled his eyes and sat back in defeat.

"Are you guys all ears?" Scully made sure.

"Yes, Agent Scully!" They answered.

Scully flipped the book open and started reading out loud to them in a clear and friendly manner.  
The room was pin-drop silent except for the voice of this FBI agent echoing across the room while reading a Dr. Seuss book.

When she was finished, the class applauded her. This made Scully smile and loosen up a little, saying, "I'm glad you liked it!"

"We do!" The rowdy boy said. 

"Hey, can we ask you questions?" The blonde girl asked.

"Sure," Scully agreed smilingly. "One at a time. Raise your hand."

The quiet boy raise his hand. Scully turned to him. "Yes?"

"Do you catch bad guys?" 

"Yes, we make sure they get punished for doing bad things."

"I want to catch bad guys too," one boy declared.

"You will, when you grow up," Scully assured him.

A dusky girl raised her hand. Agent Scully called her and she stood up.

"Are you a princess?"

Scully was taken aback. "Why, what makes you think I am one?" she grinned.

"You look like Princess Diana to me," she commented. "You're so pretty!"

"Her name is also Diana!" Another girl quipped.

"No, it's Dana. D-A-N-A. Day-na," Scully emphasized. "And every girl can be a princess."

Upon hearing this unexpected statement from the highly-esteemed FBI Agent, the little girls in the class clapped and cheered for her. One brunette girl in a yellow dress stood up and approached Scully.

"Pleased to meet you, your highness," she curtsied in front. She couldn't help but smile at her.

Scully got to her feet and curtsied in return. She noticed that the girl was holding something in her left hand. 

"Can I put this on you?" 

The girl showed the object to Scully. It was a plastic toy tiara with red and purple sequins on the side.

"Sure," Scully grinned. She lowered her head and the girl clumsily placed it on the FBI Agent-turned-Princess. This made the class noisier, and because they were cheering.

"Sssh, lower your voice," Scully reminded, pressing a finger to her pouted lips. She steadied the crown on her head and placed it on the middle.

"Let's obey the Princess," a boy said out loud. They all fell silent and behaved.

"Do you want another story?" Scully asked, returning to her seat in front.

"Yes, please!" The children cried out.

Scully stood up and was about to pick another book from the nearby bookshelf when the door creaked open. 

"Scully, we finally found out the reason behind the attacks---"

Her back faced Mulder, so when she turned around, he was taken by the sight of her with a plastic crown on her head.

"Hey, what's with the tiara?" Mulder tried hard to stifle his smile.

"Mister, call her princess!" The yellow dress girl cried out. 

"Is that your husband, Princess Dana?" A boy asked aloud.

"He's a handsome prince!" The eyeglass girl squealed.

This made the class giddy and thrilled. Their whole attention was centered on the two FBI agents staring at each other from across the room. Scully hushed them once more, but they did not listen to her. She shifted her sights towards her partner, who walked slowly in front of her.

Scully couldn't seem to fathom why she felt uneasy. It was not because of the coffee she drank for lunch, nor the fact that she was asked to watched over this classroom. Mulder was coming slowly towards her, and right now, it was as if someone placed a spotlight on him.

His smile reached all the way up to his eyes, making it bluer than ever. His hair was tousled back, and she thought it suited him, together with his black coat, tie, and slacks ensemble.

_Why are you so nervous? It's just him, Dana_ , she reminded herself. He was no prince, yet she was caught in this emotional turmoil.

One boy stood up and found a bunch of plastic flowers somewhere. He approached Mulder, who was inches away from Scully.

"Give this to her," he requested innocently. "Pay respect to the Princess."

Mulder took the plastic flowers from the boy and rubbed his shoulder. "Thanks buddy. Can I take your princess with me?" 

"Noooo!" The kids screamed.

"Kiss her first!" Someone shouted out loud.

Mulder stopped in his tracks and looked at the crazily excited children. He smiled at them and turned to Scully. Without a word, he gently placed the "flowers" in her hands, then he inched his face to hers and gave her a peck on her left cheek.

Scully was mortified the moment his lips landed on her cheek. It was warm on her, and it stayed for a second or two before he pulled back.

The kids were cheering wildly, some were even shouting for another kiss. But the noise seemed to fade away in the background.

The only thing she knew was it was the first time she had gotten something intimate from him. It was not supposed to make her feel this way, eyes staring widely at her partner and at a loss for words. She wanted to get mad at him, wanted to hit him on the head with the plastic flowers she was tightly gripping.  
In front of her, Mulder had a boyish smile plastered on his face. 

Scully gulped and turned to the children. Her face felt hot and she knew she was already blushing. How she hated it when she blushes, knowing how obvious it was against her pale skin.

"Please kiss him!" Another child shouted, which made them more excited than ever.

"Settle down," she said in a firm and loud voice. She took hold of her breath, now finding her composure once more. 

"Are you married?" Another pesky child asked.

"No, we work together," Scully answered in a clipped voice.

"Please marry her, mister prince!" A girl said to Agent Mulder. "They look good together, right?" She asked her classmates.

"Yes!" 

Mulder let out a laugh. Scully looked back, the invisible spotlight on him once more. As she was about to reprimand the class, Principal Lawson entered the room.

"Children, did you behave? You can line up now together with your bags and wait for the schoolbus."

Thank God this is all over. It was all Scully had in mind, a wave of relief washing over her.

At the sound of the elderly principal's voice, the kids cheered and stood up excitedly. They went to a row of cubbyholes, where their bags were stored.

"Let's go," Mulder told her. 

Scully removed the tiara on her head and propped it on top of the teacher's table, together with the plastic bouquet. She sauntered to him and bid their goodbyes to the principal.

"Thank you for watching over the kids, Agent Scully." Principal Lawson smiled warmly.

"They were good kids," Scully bluffed. 

"Yeah, they're so well-behaved," Mulder commented. He turned to her and gave her a winning smile, with the thought of knowing that the kids saw them kiss.

Scully glared at him and turned to Principal Lawson. "We will go now, thank you. We hope you solved the problem here."

"We will contact pest control soon," Principal Lawson replied.

They waited for the kids to exit the classroom. Forming a straight line with their small knapsacks on their backs, they each bade their farewells to the principal and even to the two FBI agents.

"Bye princess," the yellow dress girl said. She high-fived Scully and Mulder and ran out the door.

"Principal, they kissed," a boy said.

"What?" Principal Lawson frowned. She turned to Mulder, who laughed at the kid, while Scully bit her lip.

The boy went out before Principal Lawson could answer.

Finally, they were all out of the classroom. The two agents volunteered to clean up, but Principal Lawson forbade them. 

"We have the cleaning team to do this. You may go now."

"Thank you," they said in unison.

Scully trailed in silence beside Mulder until they reached the parking lot, where his car was located. She sat beside him on the passenger seat, and it was a silent trip back to the FBI Headquarters. Usually, they would be talking about the current cases they have and bicker. But this ride was filled with a tense atmosphere.

"Do you want coffee?" Mulder offered her.

"No, the one I had this afternoon made my heart go wild," she replied, looking out the window.

"Maybe something else made your heartbeat erratic," Mulder knowingly implied.

"Shut up, Mulder." Scully faced him with a glare, wishing she could wipe out that smug smile from those lips that landed on her cheek a while ago. She drew her eyes away from him. 

She wanted to ask why he did that. Why he felt so confident stepping in her personal space. All the years she worked with him, the closest they have ever been was an accidental brush of each other's hand or the occasional bump on the shoulder in their cramped basement office. 

But her mind was a mess and no words formed properly. She hated that she had the cat getting her tongue, all because of a kiss.

A kiss that was not supposed to bother her, but right now, it took all over her entire being. Scully can't bear looking straight at him, her heart skipping a beat when she thought of that moment.

"It was a squirrel," Mulder announced, breaking the heavy silence between them during their drive.

Scully remained silent.

"The creature who bit the school staff happened to be two rabid squirrels. Someone finally caught one of them and it will be under investigation. We have no idea why the victims fainted from that squirrel bite."

"I see," Scully nodded. 

Deep inside, she was furious. She wanted to kick her partner for tagging her along with him and going through all this trouble, only to find out it was rabid squirrels infesting the school.

"By the way, I'm sorry if that bothered you."

Scully turned to Mulder. He was serious when he said that, his eyes showing remorse. She knew very well what he referred to.

"Forget it. You should have seen the look on their faces when you did that. Some kind of prince you are." Scully smirked, the corner of her lip turning upwards. 

"You'll never find a finer prince like me in all of DC," Mulder answered.

They looked at each other and laughed, as if nothing ever happened. 

And all was well again.

Except for the secrets Mulder and Scully kept from each other.

It was not about aliens and government conspiracies.

It was something they never speak about, yet they feel it at the same time, with each other.

Confirmed by a kiss, brushed off with a laugh.


End file.
